Following its acclaimed festival debut and a quiet theatrical run, On Swift Horses—a brooding period drama rich with desire and deception—is galloping toward its digital streaming release. Directed by Daniel Minahan (Deadwood: The Movie) and based on Shannon Pufahl’s 2019 novel, the film is now available on VOD platforms, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
What is On Swift Horses About?
Set against the backdrop of post-war 1950s America, On Swift Horses follows Muriel (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her husband Lee (Will Poulter) as they try to settle into a new life in California after Lee’s return from the Korean War. But tranquility is short-lived.
Their world is disrupted by the arrival of Lee’s younger brother Julius (Jacob Elordi), a magnetic and mysterious gambler with secrets he can’t outrun. A simmering love triangle emerges, complicated further when Julius vanishes to chase a young card cheat he’s fallen for, leaving Muriel to confront her own longings.
As Muriel turns to horse race gambling and begins to explore a hidden side of herself, the story becomes a haunting meditation on love, identity, and freedom—laced with tension and tenderness.
The film also stars Diego Calva and Sasha Calle in key supporting roles.
Where to Watch On Swift Horses Online?
On Swift Horses was released digitally and on VOD platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play starting May 27, 2025. You can now rent or buy the movie here for $19.99 and $24.99, respectively.
When and Where Will On Swift Horses Stream?
While a subscription-based streaming release has yet to be announced, it’s worth noting that Sony Pictures titles are typically reserved for Netflix under an exclusive post-theatrical window deal. Based on past release timelines, On Swift Horses is likely to begin streaming on Netflix within 4–5 months of its digital release—around Fall 2025.
Reception & Box Office
The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it drew acclaim for its restrained yet emotionally rich storytelling and standout performances—particularly from Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi.
Following its theatrical release on April 25, 2025, the film grossed $2.3 million domestically—a modest figure in line with its indie drama roots but one that’s likely to grow as the film reaches a wider audience via digital and streaming platforms.
Why Watch On Swift Horses?
With its slow-burning romantic tension, richly rendered period detail, and quietly devastating emotional beats, On Swift Horses is tailor-made for fans of complex character dramas like Call Me by Your Name or Carol. It’s a story of longing, reinvention, and the high-stakes gamble of love—set to the rhythms of racetracks, smoky card rooms, and sunlit solitude.
If you’re looking for a film that lingers like an old love letter, this is one to seek out.
This is a film about LGBTQ relationships, and you should be upfront about that in your review, not be so evasive about it. The marketing of this film has been heavily straightwashed, and journalists should be challenging that, instead of echoing misleading PR lines. There is also no ‘simmering love triangle’ in the film involving Julius, this is another example of the film’s misleading marketing spin: Julius is gay and is not interested in having an affair with Muriel, and isn’t even interested in spending much time with her at all in the film, most of his story is focused on him falling in love with another man and choosing a life with him. After the film’s opening sequence in Kansas, the only time Julius goes back to meet up with Muriel is when he is looking to borrow money so he can go and locate his boyfriend Henry after he disappears for a while. Muriel has some unrequited romantic interest in Julius, but as he doesn’t reciprocate, it can’t be called a genuine love triangle. Plus, an honest plot outline should also make it clear that Muriel is interested in women too, not just men in the way the marketing makes it sound. And on a final note, the still being used at the top of this article, despite the misleading way it has been used in the promotion, is NOT from any kind of romantic scene between Julius and Muriel: it is actually taken from a scene where he is telling her about his love for Henry and asking her to lend her money so he can find him, and she realises that Julius only came to see her because of that, not because he wanted to connect with her. The way the image of one man talking about his love for another man has been taken out of context by the people marketing the film to make it seem as though it’s about him having an affair with a woman instead, has been one of the saddest forms of LGBTQ erasure that I have seen in film marketing in a long time. This is a beautiful movie, but the people censoring the promotional materials should be embarrassed that they are treating same-sex love as something to be hidden away.
Hello! We truly appreciate your concern. This article is purely informational, focusing on the streaming details of the film, and may have included some details that could have been presented differently. That said, let’s judge our journalism where it’s actually applicable. We’d be grateful if you could read our actual review of the film (link below) and share your thoughts there; even if it doesn’t live up to your expectations.
Regards, Amritt.
https://www.highonfilms.com/on-swift-horses-2025-movie-review/